How do atheists see Jesus' parables?

[drfuzzy]

Thank you to all the atheists who responded.  It's heartening to hear that . . . yes, I have thrown away the rose-colored glasses, and my perception is much like yours.  I can't decide whether the story is tribal, stupid, or evil.  I think I'll just choose all three.  I'll hide further musings to spare some of you and make the thread shorter.   

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My impression:  Well, first, it's clearly an old story about the wrath of a god who has not been obeyed.  There is a distinct parallel between this and the Isaiah vinyard story in chapter 5 (read only a week or so ago)- God builds a vinyard, plows it, fertilizes it, builds a wall and a watchtower and a wine press and plants the "choicest vines".  Then - wild grapes grow!
(That's where I stopped and did a mental face-palm - "choice vines" can only produce one kind of fruit when properly planted and cared for - what idiots don't know this?)  So god throws a tantrum, tears down the walls, commands the clouds not to rain and lets wild animals in.  This was the way the ancient hebrews explained why they had been beaten in battle or captured -- god didn't fight for them, so obviously they must have disobeyed and made god mad.
    The wedding banquet parable throws in a few twists to remind people that they had not listened to the prophets of old - the servants.  The servants were dissed and killed and the king was pissed.  So he burnt down their town.  Then he just pulled in the riffraff.  As Vor said, a lot of Sunday School teachers stop there, and tell kids that God's invitation is open to everyone.  Oh but it isn't.  Some guy isn't dressed properly!  They hog-tie him and throw him out.   "For many are invited but not all are chosen"

Hogwash.  This is so obviously not a representation of a god who wants to gather everyone in.  This is more tribalism.  This only rewards abject, unthinking obedience and punishes the slightest objection - just like any tribal warlord would do.

The priest went off on tangent after tangent, saying how everyone in that time would have known what an honor and joy it was to be invited to a King's Son's wedding feast.  No sane person would refuse.  But the evil ones would not come, and when reminded by the servants (prophets) they killed the servants.  So the King decrees that the Jews be destroyed (destruction of the temple) and the Gentiles be invited to the banquet.  But the wedding garment symbolizes following the words of Jesus combined with true repentance.  The priest knew that many in the pews did not read the Bible or pray regularly, and did not go to confession weekly.  He sternly told the congregation that they should set aside time for these practices and go to Mass every day.  Because if they arrive in heaven without their wedding garment, they will be thrown out.  And those who have sacrificed and worked to attain their wedding garments will wish they had done more.  (My first reaction - heaven will be a sparsely populated, depressing, dull and boring place.)

Well.  Way to combine a punitive story with a threat designed to get more butts in the pews and more money in the collection plates.  Think it worked?  (ha)  And oh how sad to base everything you do in this life on a desperate attempt to avoid getting sent to an imaginary hell.  Throw away the one life you have by getting told every day how sinful you are and going to confession, just so you won't burn forever after you don't exist anymore.  (sigh)

I gotta get a different job, but it's amazing how listening to Bible stories can really reinforce a person's atheism.

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